Three-piece puzzle



Feb. 2, 1965 J. L. LYTLE 3,168,316

THREE-PIECE PUZZLE Filed March 29, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR dawfiw L. L YTLE:

ATTGE/VEVS.

Filed March 29, 1963 Feb. 2, 1965 J. LYTLE 3,168,316

THREE-PIECE PUZZLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

r/OJEP/ A. d V725 %9/zm;;flmm $441441- 0%.

United S tates Patent Ofifice 3,168,316 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 3,168,316 THREE-PIECE PUZZLE Joseph L. Lytle, P.0. Box 24, Wasta, S. Dak. Filed Mar. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 268,991 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-156) This invention relates to a novel three-piece puzzle.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a highly amusing, diverting, skill-teaching, and unusually diflicult puzzle of the kind indicated, which consists of a first piece formed with a closed opening having three severally usable notches radiating therefrom; a second piece formed with a rectangular opening, which is closed except for a single slot which is narrower than the first piece, save for a limited reduced thickness part of the first piece which extends from its opening to its edge, the second piece being adapted to be engaged through the opening of the first piece by passing the slot of the second piece across the reduced thickness part; and a third piece formed with a single elongated closed slot and adapted to be manipulated, relative to the first and second pieces, to extend through the opening of the second piece and receive the first piece lengthwise within its slot, with the second piece extending crosswise of the third piece.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a puzzle of the character indicated above, wherein the second piece has arcuate or substantially circular ends, and wherein the slot of the third piece is shorter than the length of the first piece, but has oppositely angled ramps, at its ends, which intersect and provide clearances which enable the third piece to be rotated around ends of the first piece, in assembling and disassembling these pieces.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a puzzle of the character indicated above, wherein the pieces are adapted to be made of wood, metal, or plastics, and wherein the second and third pieces are progressively less in thickness than the first piece.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following descrip tion and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a puzzle of the present invention in assembled condition;

. FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the first piece of the puzzle;

FIGURE 3 is an edge elevation of FIGURE 2; FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the second piece; FIGURE 5 is an edge elevation of FIGURE 4; FIGURE 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the third piece;

- FIGURE 8 is an edge elevation of FIGURE 7, showing its ramps in phantom lines;

FIGURES 9 through 18 are plan views, showing successive manipulations of the pieces relative to each other, leading to separation of the pieces from each other for solution of the puzzle.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the illustrated puzzle comprises a first piece A, a second piece B, and a third piece C.

p The first piece A is in the form of an elongated flat oblong plate having a relatively wide arcuate or semicircular upper end portion 12, a relatively narrow arcuate or semi-circular lower end portion 14, and irregularly contoured opposed side edges extending between the related ends of the portions 12 and 14. One side edge 16 is substantially straight and extends substantially normal to the related end of the smaller end portion 14, toward the related end of the larger end portion 12, where the side edge 16 is connected to the end portion 12 by a laterally outwardly extending concave portion 18.

The other side edge 20 of the first piece A has a substantially straight portion 22, extending normally from the related end of the smaller end portion 14, toward the larger end portion 12. The end of the side edge portion 22 remote from the smaller end portion 14, merges curvedly, as indicated at 24, into the adjacent side 26 of a laterally outwardly extending triangular nose 28, whose apex is rounded, as indicated at 30. The side 26 of the nose 28 is disposed at a small obtuse angle to the side edge portion 22, while the other side 32 of the nose extends at an acute angle to the side edge portion 22. The side 32 of the nose 28 is curvedly merged into the related end of wide end portion 12 of the first piece A, as indicated at 34.

The first piece A is formed with a longitudinally elongated closed opening, which is substantially centered between its side edges and its end portions. This opening comprises a longitudinally elongated, substantially parallel-sided leg 36 having an arcuate lower end 38 which is located within and is concentric with the lower end portion 14. The leg 36 extends upwardly to approximately the midlength point of the first piece A. The leg 36 has a left-hand side edge 40 which is longer than and reaches higher than its right-hand edge 42. The edge 40 terminates, at its upper end, in the concave lower side 48 of a triangular lug 50 which extends laterally inwardly from the edge 42.

The leg 36 of the opening of the first piece A opens, at its upper end, into a trifoliate part of the opening, which comprises a vertical upper notch a, an upwardly and laterally angled intermediate notch b, which is located at the right-hand side of the notch a, and a lower similarly angled notch c, which is located below the intermediate notch b. 4

The upper notch a is displaced leftwards of the longitudinal centerline of the first piece A, extends part-way into the larger upper end portion 12, and has an arcuate upper end 58 which is separated from the similarly formed upper end 59 of the intermediate notch b, by a relatively short irregularly trangular downwardly and leftwards angled lug 58. The lug 58 has a concave lefthand edge 60 and a concave right-hand edge 62. The intermediate notch b has a relatively long downwardly and laterally inwardly angled concave left-hand edge 64 which merges into the upper side or edge of the lug 58.

The inter-mediate notch b has a relatively long concave right-hand edge 66 which is disposed at a downward and laterally inward angle, and merges, at its lower end, into the convex upper edge 68 of the triangular tip 70 of a relatively long downwardly and inwardly angled neck 72, which separates the intermediate notch b from the lug 50. The tip 70 is spaced both laterally and upwardly from the lug 46, at a distance somewhat greater than the individual thickness of the second piece B, and the third piece C.

The lower notch c has an arcuate upper end 74, a straight laterally inwardly and downwardly angled low er edge 76 which merges into the upper side or edge of the lug 48. The notch c has a short convex upper edge 78 which merges into the lower edge 80 of the tip 70. The upper end of the lower notch c is located in the upper part of the nose 28. The notches a, b, and c are wide enough to rotatably receive any parts of the second piece B, and of the third piece C, which may be engaged therein.

The second piece B is in the form of a generally rectangular flat plate, which is shorter than and somewhat thinner than the first piece A, which has parallel end edges 82, a straight left-hand side edge 84, and a mutilated URE 6, the side bar 90 is of truncated diamond cross.

section, which provides opposed pairs of parallel sides 92 and 94, respectively, which are angled relative to the plane of the piece B. The bar 90 is of the above-described shape so that it can be moved in the direction of the arrows shown in FIGURES 12 and 13 between the lug 46 and angled neck 72 and between the lug 46 and lug 50.

The right-hand side edge of the piece B is interrupted by a single transverse horizontal slot 96 which extends into the opening 88, at a point midway between the parallel ends 980i the opening. The sides 100 of the slot 96 are disposed at right angles to the side bar 90, and are parallel spaced at a di tance slightly less than the thickness of the first piece A. In order that the second piece B can be passed into oi out of the opening of the first piece A, the first piece is provided with a narrow reduced width portion 102, which can be passed through the slot 96 of the piece B. This portion 102, as shown in FIGURE 2, extends to the left-hand edge of the upper notch a, from the region of the left-hand end of the larger upper end portion 12, of the first piece A. As shown in FIGURES 4, and 6, the parts of the interrupted right- Then, as shown in FIGURE 13, the piece C is swung farther downwardly, while the piece B is worked downwardly into the arm 36 of the opening of the piece A, to the lower end 38 thereof, as shownin FIGURE 14, the piece C being concurrently worked down to a substantially horizontal position.

This is followed by moving the piece C upwardly, at an angle downwardly toward the left (FIGURE 15) while working the piece B upwardly, so as to put its side bar above the nose 28 and then swinging the piece C toward passing the slot 96 across the reduced width portion 102' hand side bar 1114 of the piece B, at the opposite sides of the slot 96, are rounded and tapered toward each other, as indicated at 106, as far as the sides of the slot 96, to correspondingly reduce their elfective cross sections. is to be noted that the side bar 104 of the piece B, at opposite sides of the slot 96, is rounded and tapered as indicated at 1116, so as to facilitate the insertion and with drawal of the side bar 104 into and out of the reduced width portion 102 of the, first piece A.

The third piece C is an elongated rectangular flat plate, which is longer than the first piece A, and somewhat thinner than the second piece B. The third piece C has straight parallel end edges 103, and straight parallel side edges 11%, and is formed with an elongated longitudinal, centered opening 112. The opening 112 is substantially shorter than the first piece A, and slightly shorter than the second piece B, the opening 112 having parallel sides 114 spaced at a distance to receive the first piece fiatwise, one end at a time. The opening 112 has parallel end edges 116, and the sides of the piece C, within the confines of the opening 112, are angled toward each other to provide ramps 118 which intersect to define the relatively thin end edges 116. The ramps 118 are provided to enable the third piece C to be rotated around either semi-circuv lar end portion of the first piece A, when disposed at an angle thereto and the first piece A is disposed in the open ing 112.

As shown in FIGURE 1, in the assembled condition of the puzzle, the pieces A, B, and C are, interengaged, with the piece B extending crosswise through the piece A, the piece A engaged through the opening 112 of the piece C, and the piece C extending across and through the opening '88 of the piece B, with the side bar 90 of the piece B, and the parts of the other side bar of the piece B both engaged through the leg 36 of the opening of the piece A.

Disassembling of .the assembled puzzle, is begun by elevating and swinging the third piece C upwardly from the position shown in FIGURE 1 (see FIGURE 9), relative to the piece A, while at the same time working the piece B up through the leg 36 of the opening of the piece A, so as to put the side bar 90 thereof into the intermediate notch b of this opening.

This is followed by swinging the piece C downwardly (FIGURE 10) and moving the piece B downwardly and toward the left, so as to remove the side bar 90 from the notch b and-working the slot 96 of the side bar 104 across the reduced width portion 102 so as to put the side bar 104 at the left-hand edge of the piece A, as shown in FIGU E 1.2)

the right of the piece A, as shown in FIGURE 16. The piece C is then withdrawn downwardly off the piece A and through and off the piece B.

The piece B is then separated from the piece A by running the piece B downwardly and toward the left around the lower'end of the piece A (see FIGURE 17) and then upwardly around the left-hand side of the piece A, and putting the side bar' 104 of the piece B in the intermediate notch b, as shown in FIGURE 18. This is done by of the piece A, so as to put the piece B in the trifoliate part of the opening of the piece A, and then rotating the piece B downwardly toward the left, whereupon the piece B is removed endwise from the opening of the piece A,

and solution of the puzzle is completed.

Although there has been shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A puzzle comprising first, second, and third pieces, said first and third pieces being formed with closed openings and said second piece being formed with an opening spaced from its side edges and defining first and second side bars, said second side bar being formed intermediate its ends with a single slot narrower than the thickness of the first piece, said first piece having areduced thickness portion extending froma side edge thereof to its opening, said reduced thickness portion being receivable through the single slot for passing the second. piece into and out of the opening of the first piece, said second piece extending through the opening of the first piece and the first piece extending through the opening of the third piece and the third piece extending through the opening of the second piece, the opening of the second piece being longitudinally elongated and centered in the second piece, the parts of the second side bar at opposite sides of the single slot being rounded and tapered to the single slot, the opening of the first piece comprising a substantially parallel-sided, longitudinally disposed lower leg portion through which the side bars of the second piece extend in the assembled condition of the puzzle, and a trifoliate upper portion in communication with the upper end of the leg portion, into which the side bars of the second piece are adapted to be manipulated, said first second and third pieces being so configurated that proper manipulation thereof relative to each other would result in successful disengagement of .the pieces.

2. A puzzle comprising first, second, and third pieces, said first and third pieces being formed with closed openings and said second piece being formed with an opening spaced from its side edges and defining first and second side bars, said second side bar being formed intermediate its ends with a single slot narrower than the thickness of the first piece, said first piece having a reduced thickness portion extending from a side edge thereof to itsopening', said reduced thickness portionbeing receivable through the single slot for passing the second piece into and out of the opening of the first piece, said second piece extend ing through the opening of the first piece and the first piece extending through the opening of the third piece and the third piece extending through the opening of the second piece, the opening of the second piece being longitudinally elongated and centered in the second piece, the parts of the second side bar at opposite sides of the single slot being rounded and tapered to the single slot, the opening of the first piece comprising a substantially parallel-sided longitudinally disposed lower leg portion through which the side bars of the second piece extend in the assembled condition of the puzzle, and a trifoliate upper portion in communication with the upper end of the leg portion, into which the side bars of the second piece are adapted to be manipulated, said trifoliate portion comprising a vertical upper notch having an arcuate upper end, an intermediate notchdisposed at one side of the upper notch and having an arcuate upper end, said intermediate notch being laterally inwardly and down wardly angled relative to the upper notch, and a lower notch spaced below the intermediate notch and angled laterally inwardly and downwardly relative to the upper notch, said lower notch having an arcuate outer end, said first, second, and third pieces being so configurated that proper manipulation thereof relative to each other would result in successful disengagement of the pieces.

3. A puzzle comprising first, second, and third pieces, said first and third pieces being formed with closed openings and said second piece being formed with an opening spaced from its side edges and defining first and second side bars, said second side bar being formed intermediate its ends with a single slot narrower than the thickness of the first piece, said first piece having a reduced thickness portion extending from a side edge thereof to its opening, said reduced thickness portion being receivable through the single slot for passing the second piece into and out of the opening of the first piece, said second piece extending through the opening of the first piece and the first piece extending through the opening of the third piece and the .third piece extending through the opening of the second piece, the opening of the second piece being longitudinally elongated and centered in the second piece, the parts of the second side bar at opposite sides of the single slot being rounded and tapered to the single slot, the opening of the first piece comprising a substantially parallel-sided longitudinally disposed lower leg portion through which the side bars of the second piece extend in the assembled condition of the puzzle, and a trifoliate upper portion in communication with the upper end of the leg portion, into which the side bars of the second piece are adapted to be manipulated, said trifoliate portion comprising a vertical upper notch having an arcuate upper end, an intermediate notch disposed at one side of the upper notch and having an arcuate upper end, said intermediate notch being laterally inwardly and downwardly angled relative to the upper notch, and a lower notch spaced below the intermediate notch and angled laterally inwardly and downwardly relative to the upper notch, said lower notch having an arcuate outer end, said first piece having semicircular upper and lower end portions, the opening of the third piece being shorter than the first piece, and having oppositely angled and intersecting ramps at its ends, said ramps enabling rotation of the third piece around an end portion of the first piece, said first, second, and third pieces being so configurated that proper manipulation thereof relative to each other would result in successful disengagement of the pieces.

4. A puzzle comprising first, second, and third pieces, said first and third pieces being formed with closed openings and said second piece being formed with an opening spaced from its side edges and defining first and second side bars, said second side bar being formed intermediate its ends with a single slot narrower than the thickness of the first piece, said first piece having a reduced thickness portion extending from a side edge thereof to its opening, said reduced thickness portion being receivable through the single slot for passing the second piece into and out of the opening of the first piece, said second piece extending through the opening of the first piece and the first piece extending through the opening of the third piece and the third piece extending through the opening of the second piece, the opening of the second piece being longitudinally elongated and centered in the second piece, the parts of the second side bar at opposite sides of the single slot being rounded and tapered to the single slot, the opening of the first piece comprising a substantially parallel-sided longitudinally disposed lower leg portion through which the side bars of the second piece extend in the assembled condition of the puzzle, and a trifoliate upper portion in communication with the upper end of the leg portion, into which the side bars of the second piece are adapted to be manipulated, said trifoliate portion comprising a vertical upper notch having an arcuate upper end, an intermediate notch disposed at one side of the upper notch and having an arcuate upper end, said intermediate notch being laterally inwardly and down wardly angled relative to the upper notch, and a lower notch spaced below the intermediate notch and angled laterally inwardly and downwardly relative to the upper notch, said lower notch having an arcuate outer end, said first piece having semicircular upper and lower end portions, the opening of the third piece being shorter than the first piece, and having oppositely angled and intersecting ramps at its ends, said ramps enabling rotation of the third piece around an end portion of the first piece, said first piece having a laterally projecting rounded triangular nose at a location intermediate its end portions and remote from said upper notch, said first, second, and third pieces being so configurated that proper manipulation thereof relative to each other would result in successful disengagement of the pieces.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 609,941 8/98 Lejeune 273l56 1,138,108 5/15 Hogl 273-456 DELBERT B, LOWE, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PUZZLE COMPRISING FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD PIECES, SAID FIRST AND THIRD PIECES BEING FORMED WITH CLOSED OPENINGS AND SAID SECOND PIECE BEING FORMED WITH AN OPENING SPACED FROM ITS SIDE EDGES AND DEFINING FIRST AND SECOND SIDE BARS, SAID SECOND SIDE BAR BEING FORMED INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS WITH A SINGLE SLOT NARROWER THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE FIRST PIECE, SAID FIRST PIECE HAVING A REDUCED THICKNESS PORTION EXTENDING FROM A SIDE EDGE THEREOF TO ITS OPENING, SAID REDUCED THICKNESS PORTION BEING RECEIVABLE THROUGH THE SINGLE SLOT FOR PASSING THE SECOND PIECE INTO AND OUT OF THE OPENING OF THE FIRST PIECE, SAID SECOND PIECE EXTENDING THROUGH THE OPENING OF THE FIRST PIECE AND THE FIRST PIECE EXTENDING THROUGH THE OPENING OF THE THIRD PIECE AND THE THIRD PIECE EXTENDING THROUGH THE OPENING OF THE SECOND PIECE, THE OPENING OF THE SECOND PIECE BEING LONGITUDINALLY ELONGATED AND CENTERED IN THE SECOND PIECE, THE PARTS OF THE SECOND SIDE BAR AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SINGLE SLOT BEING ROUNDED AND TAPERED TO THE SINGLE SLOT, 